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In my years of making soap, curing is always a peculiar stage. Different ingredients reap different outcomes and that what makes soap so interesting! But when packaging and curing meet the eye, sometimes it’s not always the best result.

I take pride in my products but I also know that what I’m doing in the soaping world is NOT the norm. I’ve been self taught along the way but have also been very fortunate to meet (in person & online) many folks who helped me understand the variances within soaping. Now as I develop relationships with large scale manufacturers, I have access to labs and information I only previously dreamed about.

This help has never been more appreciated than when my product acted in a way I had never seen before. One day I noticed a few scrap pieces of Laundry Paste were sitting out and had not been packaged up in their little compostable cellophane bags, but what was unusual was the thin film I noticed covering each bar.

OMG! At first I panicked. Was it mold?

Crazy! It couldn’t be mold! Could it??

“Pull it together, Angie!”

Call someone who knows. That’s what I did. I made a call and they had it tested.

Turns out it’s the ingredients!

As the soap cures, it’s pushing out a fine amount of ingredients. It’s not harmful or degrading to the effectiveness of the soap in any way.

Whew!! :P

I share this because you may get a bar of our Laundry Paste and it may have some thin whitish film on it. Don't be alarmed! It’s fine and to be expected with the soap comes in contact with the air for a long period of time. I want you to be assured I know it’s happening.

SO. If you choose to dissolve only a portion of the bar of Laundry Paste when you receive your order, store it in the compostable cellophane bag it came in and be sure to fold over the edges to keep the bag closed.

They are usually recyclable but end of in the bathroom trash can which typically gets emptied into the house trash can, usually not getting sorted before dumping.

Did you know that the plastic pumps in bottles (e.g. lotion) are not yet recyclable. When you finish the bottle, discard (or reuse) the pump, and recycle the bottle.

Typically we think these items are also non-recyclable:

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste tubes

Bottle pumps

Dental floss containers

Shrink wrap

Plastic marked #4 or #5 may not be accepted at all recycling facilities

But there is a way to recycle them when your local facility can not handle them. If you are not familiar with TerraCycle, now is the time! TerraCycle is an innovative recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle waste. TerraCycle offers recycling programs for lots of hard to recycle items like

Barilla Ready Paste bags

Bausch & Lomb One By One

Bear Naked snacks

Brita

Burt’s Bees

cigarette waste

Colgate

Entenmann’s Little Bites

Larabar wrappers

Clif Bar wrappers

Frebreze

Flonase

Late July snacks

Honest drink pouches

Solo Cups

and more!

According to Stacey Krauss, U.S. public relations manager for Terracycle, which accepts toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, mouthwash containers and dental floss packaging through the mail-back Oral Care Brigade. “Toothbrushes are one of the most complicated items that we collect for recycling across the board, simply because they’re made up of three different components.”

One of the many Terracycle Brigades is for traditional oral care products. After you use the oral care container, simply drop it into your designated box (or bag) with any other items you collect like toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and other bathroom leftovers. Once the bag is full you mail it back to Terracycle for recycling. You earn two points for each item mailed back. Those points can be redeemed for cash donations to the school or charity of your choice.

TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Simply choose the programs you’d like to join; start collecting in your home, school, or office; download free shipping labels; and send us your waste to be recycled. You can even earn rewards for your school or favorite non-profit!